More in Love with You
by pressontoknow
Summary: A couple of one-shots about Wordy and Shelley, loosely based on the verses of "More in Love with You" by Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy. Each shot can be read separately.
1. All The Way To Church

**Author note: I never really took much interest in Shelley and Wordy, but lately I'm just loving them! I decided to write a few chapters of them based off of "More in Love with You" by Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy. It's one of my favorite songs, and I thought it'd be fun to work with. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Flashpoint, Jason Reeves, Nelly Joy, etc.**

**Chapter 1**

"Shell? Shelley, you need to get up."

Shelley Wordsworth groans as she presses her face further into her pillow. "It's not time yet."

Kevin snickers at her. "You're already ten minutes late. We have to go in half an hour."

She lets out another moan and suddenly finds herself rolled onto her back, pinned down by her husband's body. She squeals and half-heartedly tries to get away before allowing him to subdue her with kisses.

"You have to take a shower," he moans at last, pulling back from her and giving her that adorable look he gets when he wanted them to stay home from whatever obligations they both had for the day and instead just indulge in their…marital pleasures. "It's a big day."

Shelley lays back for just a moment, staring up at him. How had she ever been blessed with a man like him? He's perfect. "I know," she whispers. She gives him another good, hard kiss just for spite before crawling out from under him and staggering to the bathroom to wash her hair. Today's the day.

She has to rush a bit in the shower, and her mind is whirling as she rushes to get ready. Three years ago, she'd never have imagined she'd be at the place where she's at now. She's _happy_. Really, truly happy, and married to the best man she's ever known. The three weeks since they got married have just felt like one big honeymoon, and things aren't looking to take a downturn anytime soon.

Kevin never misses the chance to tell her that one of the reasons he loves her is that she can get ready so quickly. He grew up with sisters and knows how long it can take some women to get ready for the day. Not Shelley. She just jumps in the shower, dries her hair, and puts on a little bit of makeup. Thirty minutes after rolling out of bed she's racing out the door with him, gnawing on a bagel slathered with peanut butter and trying not to drip it on her blouse.

"You think this shirt is okay?" Shelley asks nervously as they drive to the church. She smoothes the dark material before glancing at Kevin. "You don't think it'll be see-through?"

He glances at her before quickly putting his eyes back on the road. "Looks like it'll be fine." She can see him trying to hide a grin as he reached over to rub the cloth between his fingers. "Feels thick enough." She doesn't have enough time to react before he's tickling her.

"Kevin!" she shrieks, hunkering down into her seat and trying to get away from his fingers. "Stop it, pay attention to where you're driving!"

He lets out a laugh and does as he was told. "Come on, Shell, you know I'm careful."

She smiles at that and moves their Bibles from the middle seat to the dashboard so she can sit next to him. She snuggles up against him and puts her arm through his. "I know." She presses further against him as he presses his lips to her forehead.

They pull up in front of the church with a couple minutes to spare, but Shelley still rushes inside, urging Kevin to hurry up or they'll be late. He chuckles and puts his arm around her waist to give her a good kiss. She sighs against him and feels all her anxiety rush out. Can life get any better? She's never felt such a sense of belonging.

Pastor Stone meets them outside the sanctuary doors and goes over the schedule with them a bit more so they'll know what's going on. Shelley and Kevin will head to the back room a few minutes after the end of the service so they'll be ready to start by the time everyone is back from the break. Shelley grins up at her husband as they walk into the big room to take their seats. "I'm so excited," she whispers.

He gives her a huge smile and, really, could he get any better looking? She never thought she'd be the one to end up with a looker, but here she is, and he's hers.

The service goes by smoothly, and immediately afterwards they head to the room behind the stage to get ready. Pastor Stone is back there already, changed and ready to go.

"I'm just going to go to the front and get my mic," he informs them softly, "and then I'll meet you two back there. The bathroom's right there for you to get changed."

Shelley and Kevin go into the tiny bathroom and change together, him into an orange shirt and a pair of shorts, her into a pair of blue shorts with her purple shirt. She frowns again as she studies her blouse. "You're sure it won't be see-through?" she asks softly.

Kevin looks up from where he's stuffing his clothes into her backpack. He gives her a soft smile and comes to her, holding her elbows in his hands and allowing her to press her palms against his chest. "It'll be fine, Shell," he whispers, leaning down to give her a gentle kiss. "You look beautiful."

Her insides squeeze, her chest actually _aches_. How is it possible to love someone so much? And everyone says it'll only increase.

"I am so blessed to call you my wife, Shell," Kevin murmurs, pressing his forehead against hers and making them both cross-eyed. She would have laughed if her heart wasn't squeezing at his words.

"I'm honored to be the one to baptize you today," he continues, the tears shining in his eyes making hers spill over. "You've already had a new beginning," he clears his throat and blinks rapidly, which only makes her cry more, "but this is a beautiful way to bear testament to it. I'm so proud of you." He prays softly over her.

After he's done Shelley lets out a little sob that is anything but attractive, but he just smiles at her like she's beautiful and adorable, and pulls her into his arms. She takes in a few shuddering, deep breaths as he holds her tightly for a long moment.

"I love you so much, Kev," she whispers at last, burying her face in his shoulder and effectively letting the waterworks take over again. "You're the only person I'd ever want up there with me today." She sniffles a bit before turning her head up to look at him, resting her chin on his chest. "Just promise you won't let me drown?"

He snorts and gives her a hard kiss. "Nah, I think I'll keep you."

There's a knock on the door, and they hear Pastor Stone. "Shelley, Kevin, it's about that time."

They rush to cram all their clothes into the backpack and come out just in time to hear one of the assistant pastors calling everyone back together for the baptism. The three of them pray together before making their way to the baptismal pool.

Pastor Stone enters the baptismal pool first, followed by Kevin and then Shelley. The water's nice and warm as Shelley steps into it, holding onto Kevin's hand for balance. She doesn't let go once she's in.

"Alright," Pastor Stone begins, turning to face the congregation from the pool. "As everyone knows, both Kevin and Shelley have been a part of our church for a few years now, and they got married about a month ago." He pauses as there's a round of applause.

Kevin looks down at Shelley and squeezes her hand in reassurance. She swallows and squeezes back. She's not that great with crowds anymore, after all her years trapped in the house, but as long as Kevin's with her it'll be okay.

"Kevin and Shelley asked if it'd be alright if he gave a bit of their testimony together before we baptize Shelley." Pastor Stone picks up a mic from off the pool railing, checking to make sure it's on before handing it to Kevin. "Whenever you're ready, Kev."

Shelley looks up at Kevin as he begins to speak. They hadn't really gone over what he was going to say, just how specific he should be about their circumstances, and that was pretty much it. She takes in a deep breath as he starts.

"Thank you all for being here today," Kevin begins, his eyes going over the crowd until he settles on Ed and Sophie Lane. He and Ed were best friends growing up, and Sophie and Shelley got along pretty well too. After a lot of hemming and hawing they'd agreed to come to the baptism. Shelley makes a mental note to thank them both afterwards for coming.

"Shelley and I met when we were both fourteen. It was our first day of high school and we were in the same English class together. We kind of hit it off, and from there I was history." Kevin chuckles softly along with the crowd, and Shelley tears up at the memory. He has loved her so long, so faithfully, long before she reciprocated.

"I never had the guts to tell Shelley how I really felt about her. I felt like we were too young, and she dated some other guys so I knew she wasn't interested in me." Kevin continues to apply a gentle, constant pressure to Shelley's hand; he knows how it calms her. "I found out she was engaged about a week before we graduated, and figured that was that, she was gone. Couldn't do anything about it."

"After Shelley got married we kind of lost touch. I felt awkward being around her since she was married now, and her husband was kind of jealous so I figured it'd be best if I just stayed away, let them get settled into being married. I joined the police force, and it wasn't until two years later that I even saw Shelley again. We ran into each other at the post office, and I noticed she had a bruise on her forearm. She seemed really sad. After that we'd see each other on and off, just at the grocery store, or friends' weddings. Everyone knew how jealous her husband was, and I didn't want to cause any trouble, so we never hung out beyond random stuff."

"It was around Shelley's fourth anniversary that I was called to a domestic disturbance. Guy beat up on his wife, neighbor called the police, etc. But," Kevin's voice trails off, and when he drops his head Shelley can see tears in his eyes, "this time it was _Shelley_." A tear trickles off his nose and splashes into the pool. Shelley can feel her own tears joining his. She shifts her hand just slightly to interlock their fingers; he pulls her closer.

Kevin clears his throat awkwardly. "After the divorce was finalized Shelley started going to a Bible study that I'd been going to for awhile. We talked a lot about the Bible and why bad things happen, and just got to know one another. I waited about a year to ask her out, and a year and a half later we're married." Kevin smiles down at Shelley, and she gives him a grin in return.

"Shelley went to church growing up," Kevin continues, "and she got baptized when she was a little girl, but after some prayer together she decided that she wants to be baptized again because she's basically starting a whole new life. She doesn't think she was a believer when she was baptized the first time, and we both want this to be a symbol to our family and friends of how we're starting over together, and how God's done so much good through all this bad." He nods and glances at Pastor Stone. "That's about it."

"Alright," the pastor responds, taking the mic from Kevin and laying it back on the railing. "Shelley, if you'll just come over here; Kevin, stand behind her." He nods for Kevin to go ahead.

Shelley takes a deep breath as she adjusts her grip on Kevin's hand and feels his other hand go to her back.

"You ready?" he asks softly.

She nods, giving him a smile.

"Shelley Woodsworth, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." He dips her back gently and she holds her breath for only a moment before he's pulling her back up and into his arms.

New.

_Early in the morning When I'm still so tired Both my poor eyes hurt_  
_You will drag me out of bed And I will drive us all the way to church_  
_And I will pray with you In that front row pew_  
_I will spend my whole life through Falling more in love with you_


	2. When You Burn My Food

__**Author's Note: This one-shot actually takes place about two weeks before the first chapter I posted. It's just the order of the verses of the song and how I wanted to place things. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Don't own the characters, Jason Reeves, Nelly Joy, etc.**

_Two weeks earlier_

Kevin Woodsworth let out a weary sigh as he drove his cruiser home from work. It'd been a long day, a long week after being off for the prior week for his wedding and honeymoon. He smiled as he studied his wedding ring. It was strange that a little piece of gold could be a symbol of so much love. Shelley had had the inside engraved with the date of their wedding and the words "Bound for Life".

Their wedding had been very quiet and simple. They'd had a short engagement—only four months—and had only invited family and close friends. Their small circle of friends were only those who'd stuck with them through Shelley's marriage and divorce—the ones they knew were really true. They'd lost many more on the way, but they were no loss.

For their honeymoon they'd just driven across the border to Niagara Falls. Shelley had always wanted to visit, and they didn't have enough money for anything more elaborate. As it was, it had been an incredible time.

Kevin had loved Shelley since high school, pretty much everyone knew that, but he had never imagined he could love her as much as he did now. Their honeymoon week had been spent primarily in their hotel room, but they'd also been able to go on a boat ride to see the falls better, as well as played mini golf, gone to see a play, and eaten at a bunch of great places. They hadn't left each other's side for the entire week, and that was part of the reason why this first week back at work had been so hard—Kevin _ached_ for Shelley. He'd spent pretty much the whole week driving around in his cruiser, talking to her on the phone, anything to hear her voice. He'd had to restrain himself from calling her on the drive home. He grinned at the thought of coming home to his wife. His _wife_. What a beautiful word.

Kevin pulled up in front of the house, and immediately noticed that something was wrong. The kitchen was on the left side of the house, and from the window he could see smoke coming out. He raced to get out of the car and inside.

"Shelley!" he yelled, banging through the front door and racing toward the kitchen. "Shell, where are you?!"

He stopped in the doorway to see her trying to wrestle a great, burnt ham out of the oven. She turned quickly to face him, sucking in her breath as her hand brushed against the hot oven door. "Kevin!" She hurried over to the window to open it even more and let the smoke out. "Kev, I'm so sorry," she said frantically, waving a dishtowel in the air to try and get the smoke out faster. "I forgot to set the timer and the fire alarm went off…" She came to stand in front of him and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll run down to the store and get something else, I'll have it ready soon."

"Shelley," Kevin began, trying to stop her tirade. She didn't seem to hear him, so he raised his voice. "Shelley!"

He immediately saw that this was the wrong thing to do. She instinctively put her arms up defensively and seemed to crouch down to the floor, away from him. His gut turned to see the fear in her eyes.

"Oh, Shell, I'm so sorry," he said softly, desperate to reassure her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, I'm so sorry." He came into her space and took her elbows in his hands. "I'll get the ham out of the oven; why don't you go sit on the couch? I'll be there in just a minute."

She sniffled and he almost couldn't let her go when he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. She went out and he rushed over to the oven, yanked the ham out, and slammed it down, making sure nothing else would catch fire before he rushed after Shelley.

She was sitting rigidly on the couch, fidgeting with her skirt and staring down into her lap. He came to sit next to her and took her hands. "Shell, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her lips quivering as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "I burnt your dinner."

Maybe that was supposed to mean something more than it did to him at the moment. For the life of him, Kevin couldn't think why that would make her so upset. "Shell, it's just food."

She dropped her chin again and he could see she was keeping something else inside. He hooked his finger under her chin and made her look at him. "Why were you so scared?"

Letting out a little sob, she took his hands again and held onto them tightly. He could see she was trying to think of the right words.

"When Ray and I first got married, I wasn't a very good cook. I'd lived with my mother all my life, and she never taught me anything like that. One night I was making lasagna and I burned it." She squeezed her eyes shut and Kevin couldn't help but scoot closer to her and hold her hands even tighter.

"Ray got so mad when he came home. He said that he'd been working hard all day to pay for things like food, and then I had to go and burn it. That was…" Shelley's voice caught, and she let out another sob, "that was the first time he beat me up. He'd hit me before, but that was the first time it got really bad."

Kevin's insides churned with anger. That she had to categorize any man's hitting her from bad to not so bad was brutal for him to hear. He was about ready to go find Ray's jail cell and kill him. He took a deep breath and tried to appear calm for his wife.

"After that I'd start cooking dinner hours before he got home, usually as soon as I finished lunch. I'd cook it really early and then warm it up in the oven before he got home so he'd think I'd just finished it. But something else was always wrong—the chicken was too dry, the soup was too watery, the floor needed to be swept. Every little thing made him mad, and he'd come home and just yell, and yell…" Shelley's voice trailed off; she'd apparently said all she could manage to. Kevin gathered her into his arms and held her as she cried.

How could someone ever hurt a woman like Shelley? She was so kind and sweet and gentle, always thinking the best of everyone and bestowing compassion so generously. But she had been hurt so much. There had been many tears over their honeymoon week as Kevin explored her body, saw all the scars and marks that had been left by her first husband. Scars on her arms, scars on her neck, on her legs from the rapes. So many scars. So much pain.

"I'm so sorry I raised my voice at you," Kevin said at last as Shelley's weeping began to cease. "I wasn't thinking."

Shelley shook her head, looking up to catch his eyes. "No, I was overreacting, not really thinking-"

"I don't ever want you to be afraid of me," Kevin whispered, emotion making his voice crack as he took her face in his hands, stroking her cheekbones with his thumbs.

"I could never be afraid of you," Shelley insisted, holding onto his forearms and giving him a penetrating gaze. "You are the best man I know, Kev, and I know you'd never, ever hurt me."

The couple took a few moments to just sit, kissing and murmuring and holding each other close. Finally Shelley pulled back. "Are you hungry?"

Kevin nodded. "Want to go get some fast food? We can go to the park and have a picnic."

Shelley grinned at him; he knew she loved when he remembered those little things about her, like how she loved eating outside. "That's a great idea!"

He gave her a long, hard kiss and groaned. "Are you sure you're hungry?" He inched towards her and tried to get her to lean back and lay on the couch.

His wife laughed and gently shoved him away. "I'm actually starving; I haven't eaten since noon."

"Are you sure?" Kevin mumbled, nibbling on her neck and holding her close.

His heart squeezed at her little sigh, that sigh that said she was trying to hold herself together and not just tackle him. "_Kevin…_"

"_Shelley_," he mumbled, turning to lie back on the couch as he pulled her on top of him. She finally came willingly and submitted to kissing him.

"I guess I'm not that hungry," she whispered, breathless from his plunder of her lips. She ran her fingers up to play with his short hair.

He moaned. "Don't worry, I'll feed you later." He pulled back for just a moment and looked up at her—the hair tumbling in her face, that little smile of pleasure, the intense love in her eyes. He took her hand from where it was now pressing to his chest and kissed the palm. "I love you, Shell."

"I love you, Kev."

_Someday when I'm coming home So late from work You try to save the day_  
_You'll pull dinner out The oven black as night And set it smokin' on my plate_  
_And I will laugh with you When you burn my food_  
_I will spend my whole life through Falling more in love with you_


	3. You Know He Loves You

The summer evenings are sweltering. It's July, and you have lived in the new house for three weeks. You've been sleeping a lot while Kevin goes to work because you're just so tired from moving, and when he comes home each day you apologize for all the boxes left unpacked. He laughs and kisses you breathless before telling you he doesn't want the stuff in the boxes—he just wants _you_. And he pulls you to bed all covered in sweat until you both have to pull apart and say, _Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be cooler._

And you know he loves you because he cares more about your comfort than his desires.

This house is only temporary until you decide to have children, but it's perfect for you right now. You fell in love with all the windows and the light streaming in and the mess of flowers blooming in the front yard. You glared at Kevin when he suggested you pull them all out and start over. He shrugged and decided that he'd leave the gardening to you.

The humidity makes the already hot days even hotter. You feel like you're drowning in the air and go around the house in your thinnest tank tops and shorts. Kevin comes home drenched in sweat and takes a freezing cold shower to cool off while you throw his smelly uniform in the laundry for tomorrow.

And you know he loves you because he always fills up a cup with that freezing cold water and dumps it on your head so he's sure you're cool too.

The heat and humidity make you both grumpy, and you fight more. About why he hasn't fixed the air conditioning, about why his clothes aren't clean, about why the cap is off the toothpaste and you stole his favorite t-shirt. He takes an extra shift one day after a bad fight; you embarrass him at work when you tell his boss you really need to speak to him and his co-workers see you dragging him around the back of the building to say how sorry you are and kiss him until you're both shaky. He makes you so angry one day, you just start walking down the road; he drives next to you until you get in the car and he reminds you how much you love each other and takes you ice skating.

Your mother calls and makes you cry over your divorce, and you cry more when Kevin takes the phone and defends you. You have a nightmare about Ray and won't let Kevin touch you, and you see the tears in his eyes when you roll away.

And you know he loves you because the next morning everything's okay; he wakes you up with kisses and holds you for a long time without asking if it's okay because _of course_ it's okay.

On the weekends you both work hard to fix up the house. He paints the outside a pale blue that you both chose, and you paint your bedroom a leafy green that you chose. You both choose the bright orange for one of the kitchen walls; it takes two days just to remove the molding so you can start. You dash off around town for centerpieces and rugs and pillows while Kevin gets rid of all the old, dead plants in the backyard and puts in some new ones.

He takes some boards off the back fence to replace them, and you step on one of them. The nail goes through your shoe and he freaks out and rushes you to the hospital, worrying over tetanus and amputation and wheelchairs. You see the sweet looks in the nurses' eyes because, really, what's more precious than a concerned husband, and they're quick to reassure him that you're _fine_, it was just a nail. He takes you for ice cream afterwards and carries you into the house, telling you you're not going to walk on that foot for at least three days. But he doesn't seem to mind much when you sneak up behind him in the kitchen and shove your ice cream in his face, leading to an epic food fight.

And you know he loves you because, even though he gets the worst of it and pretty much all your ice cream is smeared across his chest, he lets you finish his off when you bat your eyes at him and promise you won't go anywhere without him carrying you for the next few days.

He comes up behind you sometimes, but not in the way that always made you fear Ray. Kevin comes up behind you and kisses the daylights out of you, or whispers sweet things in your ear, or tickles you until you can't breathe from laughing. Sometimes he just holds you. Those times are your favorite.

One night there's a huge thunderstorm, and as if you weren't already a sweaty mess, you pace around the kitchen until Kevin gets home safely from work. He wraps his arms around you, tells you he knows that you don't like the lightning, and takes the fastest shower of his life so you won't be alone.

You sit on the carpet in front of the double doors leading to the back porch, eating popcorn and watching the lightning and talking about what you both did that day. He talks about the little boy who fell into a swimming pool and almost died before Kevin did CPR and got him breathing again. He talks about how the mother cried all over him and told him that he's a hero, and how the police chief shook his hand on his way out. You tell him about how your mother called again and you stood up to her, made her listen to all the reasons why you had to leave Ray—because he hurt you and no one should be hurt like that—and how you had the courage to hang up on her when she still said hurtful things. You let him kiss your cheeks where those few tears that you allow for your mother fall.

You let out a little yelp when the lights go out, and he chuckles, deep and low, and presses kisses into your hair. "Don't worry," he whispers, "I've got you."

He stands up and opens the back doors so you can hear the rain falling, hear the thunder rumbling. He holds out his hand to you; you take it and he pulls you up to him. "Want to dance, Shell?" he whispers as he holds you tightly for just a moment, and you can feel the love in his strength.

You stand still at his command and let him undress you until you're just standing in your undergarments, and he's in his old swim trunks from high school. He puts your hand on his shoulder, and takes the other gently in his. His fingers traces slow circles across your back and you press up against him because it tickles; he laughs and pulls your face up for a kiss.

It's not an elaborate dance, just swaying side to side, but he's humming the song you waltzed to at your wedding, and you could almost cry at the depth of his love for you.

You didn't see his love in high school, even though surely it was obvious because everyone else knew and you couldn't be blind to it now no matter how hard you tried. You remember how he always gave you a ride to school when it was raining so you didn't have to stand at the bus stop, how he came with you to the vet when your dog was dying and you couldn't see to drive because you were crying so hard. You remember how he danced with you at your senior prom, just hours before Ray asked you to marry him, and how he traced the same circles he's tracing now.

You remember how he was always there after your divorce, how he drove you to the grocery store and then to the airport when your grandmother died. You remember how nervous he was when he asked you out for the first time, how he took your hands and his were shaking, and he almost couldn't get the words out but couldn't stop them at the same time. How awkward that first date was, how you both laughed at the wrong times and said the wrong things, how he knocked your glass of water into your lap and you smashed his foot with your high heel when you stood up to go the bathroom.

You remember your first kiss, a month into your relationship because he wanted to take things so slow. You remember how cold the rink was that day, how you slipped and he caught you and it just _happened_. You had never been kissed like that, and you decided you were done kissing other people.

You remember how he asked you to marry him, how still you stood while he got down on one knee, how you memorized every word he said and almost missed how nervous he was. You remember how his eyes fell when you said no at first because you hadn't told him about everything Ray had done to you and you dumped it on him all at once—the hands around your neck, the bruises around your ankles from when he grabbed you as you tried to crawl away, the rapes. He didn't break your gaze even for a moment when he said he knew, he knew what had happened, and he didn't care because you were _new_, and he wanted your past along with all the rest of you. How happy his eyes got when you said _yes,_ _of course you would marry him_.

"I love you, Shell," he whispers as he finishes the song and just holds you close while the thunder fades and the sky lightens. You bury your face in his chest and just nod—you couldn't speak now even if you wanted to.

You want so much more with him. You want his help tomorrow when you're trying to hang up those paintings you just bought. You want the cups of water poured on your head every day. You want to be pregnant with his babies, to laugh at the movements in your belly and cry at the ultrasounds and listen to the heartbeats you'll record and put in the kitchen stereo. You want to see him having tea parties with your little girls and braiding their hair. You want cowboys and Indians with your little boys and mud fights and dancing. You want anniversaries and birthdays and loss and joy and old age.

You never expected this. This happiness that consumes every part of you, this love that just pours out of your ears and wants all of him forever. Four years ago you just expected pain and crying and violence.

But he is always so gentle, so gentle with you.

And you know he loves you.

He's always loved you.

_Summer nights, the lightning strikes So close to our house All the lights go out  
I will sing your favorite song Along with all the raindrops falling down  
And I will dance with you 'til the sky turns blue  
I will spend my whole life through Falling more in love with you_


End file.
